Real Reason Why Elon Musk Is Not Attending Davos 2023: He's Not Invited

Tesla chief Elon Musk and his brother, Kimbel, are among witnesses who could be called to testify at a fraud trial over whether the controversial billionaire sent the company's share price spinning with a false tweet about taking the company private — AFP

KEY POINTS

A World Economic forum spokesman said the last time Musk was invited to Davos was in 2015
The spokesman said Musk neither registered nor attended the annual meeting in the 2010s
Musk previously insulted the forum and compared it to online message board 4Chan

The World Economic Forum on Tuesday said Tesla CEO Elon Musk did not attend the event in Davos because he was not invited, despite what the Twitter owner seemingly claimed.

In a tweet posted on Dec. 22, 2022, Musk said he declined a Davos invitation because "it sounded boring."

"My reason for declining the Davos invitation was not because I thought they were engaged in diabolical scheming, but because it sounded boring af lol," the tweet read.

My reason for declining the Davos invitation was not because I thought they were engaged in diabolical scheming, but because it sounded boring af lol
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 30, 2022

While Musk didn't specify when the invitation was made, the timing of his tweet suggested it was for this year's conference.

However, forum spokesman Yann Zopf on Tuesday dismissed Musk's claim, noting that the last time the Tesla CEO was given an invitation was "not this year and not recently," but in 2015, as quoted by The Associated Press.

Zopf also added that Davos organizers have extended invitations to Musk several times in the 2010s. However, he never registered nor attended the annual meeting.

The forum's statement on Musk comes just days after the billionaire insulted the forum, comparing it to the online message board 4Chan, which is well-known for spawning conspiracy theories.

"There should be a game show: '4Chan or Davos, who said it?'" Musk tweeted.

He also replied directly to a 2018 tweet from the World Economic Forum that said "overpopulation remains a global challenge" and argued that declining birth rates pose a major problem for humanity.

The World Economic Forum "brings together decision-makers from across society to work on projects and initiatives that make a real difference." This year's Davos event is being held from Jan. 16 to Jan. 20, with over 600 CEOs expected to attend, including JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon and Morgan Stanley's James Gorman.

In addition, more than 50 world leaders are present, including those from Spain, South Korea and Poland. Celebrities like Idris Elba, Wil.I.Am and cellist Yo-Yo Ma are also attending.

The Russians will be absent from the event, but Ukraine is expected to have another high-level delegation and several war-related sessions on its agenda.

Forum members who want to attend the event pay between 120,000 to 850,000 Swiss francs ($130,000 to $921,000) for an annual membership, depending on the level of affiliation.